They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency

MSNBC counterterrorism expert Nance (The Plot to Betray America) alleges in this disturbing if overwrought study that a “political paramilitary insurgency” is preparing to bring down the Biden administration and return Donald Trump to power. Discussing the violent capabilities of the insurgency’s “affiliated militias, terrorists, and enforcers,” Nance notes that “white rural people” own most of the guns legally registered in the U.S. and recounts previous acts of domestic terrorism, including the 2019 El Paso Walmart massacre. Discussing the role of Q-Anon in the “weaponization of Trump cultism,” Nance claims that as many as 15% of Americans believe the Q-Anon conspiracy that the U.S. government is controlled “by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation.” Nance also compares the Republican Party to Sinn Féin, the political wing of the IRA, and alleges that some Republican lawmakers are too fearful for their own safety to stray from the “big lie” that Trump won the 2020 election. Though Nance forcefully articulates his belief that American democracy is in mortal danger, he overstates the coordination between right-wing groups and oversimplifies the relationship between online posturing and real-world actions. Still, this is a frightening and provocative thought experiment. (July)